Innovations in materials have driven much of the technological progress throughout the century. Today, the potential applications of a new unforeseen pure molecular form of carbon known as carbon nanotubes, is engendering tremendous excitement across the scientific community. Since their discovery, reports of their ever more outstanding and exciting properties seems to foreshadow the advent of the new and quite remarkable carbon age. Many countries have now identified such molecules as a strategic commodity and are making major commitments toward their production. Such countries see potential applications of such novel pure carbon molecules across their spectrum of industry. The usage of carbon nanotubes in high-tech composites alone offers tremendous potential. Theoretical calculation of stress and strain for some carbon nanotube molecules indicate that as carbon substitutes in high-tech composites they could provide an even greater leap forward in material advantages than existing carbon composites have had over previously used materials. Already, such carbon composites have revolutionized aircraft design and in the process given the United States significant military and economic advantages. It is precisely for such reasons that, worldwide, a push is on to develop and mass produce this new carbon form. At ⅙th the weight of steel and 50 to 150 times stronger, carbon nanotubes are, in essence, an ideal fiber for enhanced composite materials. Previous efforts to commercialize carbon nanotubes have revealed serious production problems.
It would represent an advance in the state of the art if a method were developed which could facilitate the manufacture of products with fibers, such as carbon nanotubes and/or nanowires, nanoropes, or other ultrasmall fibers. It is to such an improved method for facilitating the manufacture of products that the present invention is directed.